


Thirty Bucks

by kraefandoms



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Tony Stark deserves happiness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-17
Updated: 2019-07-02
Packaged: 2020-05-13 16:51:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 4,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19255258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kraefandoms/pseuds/kraefandoms
Summary: Tony: lmao I’ll give thirty bucks to the first person who makes me feel NOT worthlessSteve initially took it as a joke. Who didn't? But the more he thought about it, the less sure he became.So, the Avengers try to make Tony feel like he's worth something.





	1. Prologue

Tony: lmao I’ll give thirty bucks to the first person who makes me feel NOT worthless

Steve initially took it as a joke. Who didn't? But the more he thought about it, the less sure he became. So, he decided to ask in the one chat Tony wasn’t in: the chat for planning Tony’s surprise birthday.

Steve: do you think tony was joking earlier?  
Sam: when  
Rhodes: Whenever it was, the answer is probably  
Steve: when he said he’d give $30 to the first person to make him feel not worthless  
Clint: y. u want the $$ or smth  
Steve: *no*  
Steve: i just don’t want him to feel that way  
Rhodes: oh that…  
Clint: lmao that was definitely a joke  
Bruce: IDK about that  
Bruce: the other day he was talking to me about his PTSD and stuff  
Steve: what?  
Steve: what did he say??  
Bruce: IDK i feel asleep  
Natasha: wow rude  
Sam: you fell asleep???  
Sam: DUDE  
Bruce: what? i’m not that kind of doctor  
Natasha: dude.  
Sam: I am! next time send him to me!  
Steve: **more importantly** why don’t we fix the problem  
Peter: I’ll help!  
Rhodes: I’m cool with that.  
Rhodes: So is pepper  
Thor: I also want the Man of Iron to feel Worthy.  
Clint: i just want the $$ lol but ill do it  
Natasha: at least you’re in on the plan  
Bruce: i’ll help  
Loki: Okay. Sure. Why not?  
Bucky: I want $30.  
Sam: you’re an asshole. i’ll do it for the right reasons.  
Bucky: Shut the fuck up.  
Steve: so we’re all going to try to make tony feel better?  
Steve: good  
Clint: first 2 30 wins!  
Natasha: NO


	2. Clint

Tony had no idea why Clint was being so nice.  
Not drinking all of the coffee, not drinking orange juice straight out of the bottle, not barging into the lab whenever he needed new arrows - it was incredible.  
It also meant something was up.  
Tony’s plan was to ask him in the morning, but unfortunately, Tony was pretty sure his morning plans were being canceled.  
The others were out. Bruce and Nat were on a SHIELD mission; Pepper and Rhodes were in California, Thor and Loki were in Asgard for the weekend, Steve and Bucky were visiting Peggy, and Peter was staying at May’s.  
So, when the villain of the week attacked, the Avengers were understaffed.  
Tony, of course, always had to get into trouble.  
“I don’t know why you’re struggling,” the voice drones, “Especially when HammerTech is so much better than anything you could create.  
“Fuck off,” Tony retorts.  
The Adaptoid’s grip tightens around Tony’s suit. “You want to hear about my newest update?”  
“Who’d you rip off this time?” Tony struggles to fight off the Adaptoid, but to no avail. Damn, these things really are getting better.  
“Funny you word it like that, Stark.”  
The warnings start to go off, leaving Tony puzzled.  
His suit had been at 100% battery, how the hell was it down to 15% already?  
“Except what I’d say I’m stealing isn’t an idea.”  
Tony’s already figured it out, but he’s wasted precious time doing so. The battery level continues to go down, and if it goes down too far, and the Adaptoid’s technology is good enough, it won’t be draining energy from the suit.  
It’ll be draining from his arc reactor.  
Tony struggles harder, panic setting in. He needs out of the suit or out of the Adaptoid’s grip.  
Preferably both.  
The battery sinks lower.  
“JARVIS, get anyone who’s in the building!” Tony shouts, shaking with the effort of freeing himself.  
“On it, boss.”  
The arrow hits the Adaptoid right as Tony is about to find out if the tech was good enough to suck the life out of him.  
The Adaptoid shudders, falling off of Tony.  
His breath is heavy as he kicks himself out of the suit onto his knees.  
“Dude, you good?” Clint is there, hand on Tony’s shoulder.  
“Close call,” Tony replies, struggling to regain his breath.  
Clint kicks at the Adaptoid. “What’s new with it?”  
“Drains battery. Which, my suit is dead now.”  
Clint looks at Tony. “It’s dead?”  
“Yeah. You arrived just in time to see whether or not the Adaptoid had the tech to drain the arc reactor through the suit.”  
Clint looks worried. “Damn, really? That’s not good.”  
“Tell me about it,” Tony replies, looking down at his suit.  
Tony groans, trying to shake off the remnants of ebbing panic. “Anyways, let’s get these to the lab. I want to know if the Adaptoid could have done the thing, and the suit needs to charge.”  
Tony picks up the suit first, and Clint quickly gets the other side.  
“What’s got you acting so nice?”  
Clint tries to shrug, but fails under the weight of the suit.  
Hm, Tony thinks. He doesn’t care enough to investigate further.  
They place the suit in the lab uneventfully, but when they return to get the Adaptoid, it’s gone.  
“JARVIS,” Tony calls out.  
“Where is it?” Clint asks.  
“It flew out one of the windows, sir,” JARVIS replies.  
“Damn,” Tony says, frowning.  
He should have gotten the Adaptoid first, he thinks miserably.  
“Hey, don’t beat yourself up about it. You can analyze the footage later,” Clint says.  
Tony shrugs.  
Clint frowns.  
They head back to the lab, Tony trying to think of how the Adaptoid even drained the energy from his suit in the first place.  
Tony stares at the footage for hours, running different theories past JARVIS, each one unsuccessful.  
He’s not sure when he falls asleep, but he must have, as the Adaptoid is back, but Tony’s still in his suit.  
The suit’s battery drops as Tony continues his struggle, but this time, there is no arrow to save him.  
The suit battery drops to 0%.  
There’s a split second where Tony sighs with relief - the tech can’t reach the arc reactor.  
But then the tide turns, and Tony can’t breathe, the electric surge tearing at his chest, and the suit hinders his movements, and he can’t breathe, he can’t fight, he can’t-  
Clint is shaking him awake, and Tony struggles to regain his breath as he latches onto Clint.  
Clint’s saying something, but Tony can’t hear it over the pounding in his ears, the running thoughts of panic just now starting to die down as he realizes he’s safe.  
Clint pats at Tony’s back and shoulders, soothing his enough for Tony to hear and understand the words Clint is trying to say.  
“You good now?” Clint asks, looking concerned.  
Tony nods.  
Clint lifts his eyebrows.  
He really needs to update his suit, Tony thinks.  
“You know, you can talk to me about it. We all have missions we didn’t follow through on correctly.”  
Tony shrugs.  
Clint sighs. “Promise me you’ll talk to me if you need it?”  
“What do you care?” Tony asks, trying to be as gentle as possible.  
Clint shrugs. “Need my billionaire to be in good shape.”  
Tony laughs, and the grin on Clint’s face makes it better.  
There’s the Clint Tony knows.  
Clint pauses, the grin still on his face, but a look of wonder is there as well.  
Tony looks up at him, still smiling.  
Clint shakes his head. “Anyway, I’m off to drink some orange juice.”  
“Not straight out of the bottle!” Tony calls out after him.  
“No promises!”  
Yes, there’s the Clint Tony knows indeed.


	3. Loki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My headcanon: none of the Avengers really watch Game of Thrones

Tony really just wants to watch his show, but the minute he sees Loki on the sofa, he knows he’s shit out of luck.  
Loki just doesn’t share. And he’s always watching Game of Thrones. No one else even likes Game of Thrones.  
Loki looks up at Tony.  
“What number rewatch are you on?” Tony asks, snark filling his voice.  
“Five.”  
Tony rolls his eyes.  
Loki keeps staring at Tony and grabs the remote.  
Ugh, looks like the little shit is just going to up the volume to piss them all off.  
To his surprise, Loki changes the channel, right to Tony’s show.  
Tony just stares.  
Loki goes back to watching TV.  
Blinking, Tony sits down on the sofa next to Loki.  
They watch the episode, and the next one, and the next one after that.  
Loki, surprisingly, stays on the sofa with Tony.  
“Can I ask why I’m not being subjected to Game of Thrones?” Tony asks.  
Loki shrugs. “Gotta be nice to you.”  
Tony scoffs. “Why?”  
Loki looks at Tony. “It’s not easy.”  
Tony rolls his eyes. “Being nice to me?”  
Loki frowns and looks away, but it leaves Tony confused. That frown wasn’t annoyance or anger, it was sadness.  
What on Earth made Loki sad?  
At the end of the last episode, Loki switches the TV back to Game of Thrones.  
Tony stays a while, still perplexed, but he never gets an answer, so he leaves before he sees any more relatives have sex with each other.  
And he supposes that’s it, but that frown continues to haunt him.  
Oh well, he’ll figure it out.  
He is a scientist after all.


	4. Bucky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hahahaha.... oh my god they're idiots with no brain cells.

Tony really needs a shower, but Pepper is upstairs, using his, so he heads towards the communal shower.  
The door isn’t locked, and he can’t hear anything over the music Sam and Bucky are playing in the next room over - it alternates between big band music and Marvin Gaye - so Tony assumes it’s safe to go in.  
It is NOT safe to go in.  
There’s a split second as his brain does commentary on what he sees as he processes - that is America’s ass - but as embarrassment kicks in, Tony slams the door shut.  
He did not need to see that.  
Not that it was bad, but damn.  
He’s really lucky Steve didn’t see him.  
But someone else, coming down the hall, did.  
“Isn’t Steve-” Bucky begins to ask.  
Tony nods, blushing furiously.  
Bucky’s mouth remains partially open as varying states of confusion, annoyance, anger, and second-hand embarrassment travel across his expression.  
“Dude,” Bucky manages to say.  
“It was an accident,” Tony hisses. “And I don’t even think he saw me.”  
Bucky laughs, amazed.  
Tony can feel his face heating up even more. “Doesn’t change the fact I’m not going to be seeing him for the next five months. I’ll be avoiding him. Just to be on the safe side.  
Bucky lifts an eyebrow. “Do you want me to ask if he saw you?”  
“And how are you going to do that? Hey, did you see Tony barge in on you while you were showering? No!”  
Bucky rolls his eyes. “No, I’d ask him how his shower was.”  
“That’s just weird.”  
“I’ll have Clint ask. That way it sounds normal.”  
The door opens. Bucky and Tony jump apart.  
Steve doesn’t pay attention to either of them as he walks down the hall.  
“Huh,” Tony says.  
Bucky shrugs. “Guess you’re in the clear.”  
Tony looks at Bucky. “Well, thanks for the offer of help.”  
“No problem,” Bucky replies.  
It’s not until he’s in the middle of his shower that Tony realizes how odd it was that Bucky offered to help him.  
Why is everyone being so nice to him?  
He shouldn’t be complaining, but he’ll admit, it’s odd.


	5. Bruce

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, but hopefully it comes across as a little bit on the fluffy side

It’s one of those calm evenings where it’s just Tony and Bruce in the lab, working together in unison, without even needing to say a word.  
It’s a comfortable silence, and Tony doesn’t feel the need to break it.  
But apparently, Bruce does.  
He clears his throat first. “Hey, so, uh, I wanted to say I’m sorry.”  
Tony blinks in confusion. “For?”  
“The other night. When I fell asleep instead of listening to you.”  
Tony shrugs. “It’s alright.”  
Bruce pauses in what he’s doing. “No, it’s not alright, Tony. It was really shitty of me.”  
Tony looks at Bruce. “Nothing you can do about it now.”  
Bruce sighs. “Look, I know I said I wasn’t that kind of doctor, but I know someone who is.”  
“So you’re hooking me up with a therapist?” Tony snorts.  
“Sam is that kind of doctor.”  
Tony pauses. “He is?”  
Bruce nods.  
Tony stands there, frozen.  
He thinks he understands what Bruce is saying, what Bruce is doing.  
Bruce understands it’s hard to trust people who don’t know what it’s like. So, Bruce is hooking him up with a therapist who does.  
“I…” Tony blinks. “I don’t know how to thank you.”  
Bruce smiles. “Get help. That will be thanks enough.”  
Tony smiles at Bruce. He opens his arms.  
Bruce lets Tony hugs him, and Tony hugs him tightly.  
“Really,” Tony says, “Anything I can do.”  
“Get better. At the very least, get help.”  
Tony smiles. “Yes sir. Will do.”  
Bruce smiles back.


	6. Natasha

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ooh angsty chapter, I'm so sorry

The electronics are all down.  
Tony stumbles through the dark halls, blind as a bat, hoping to run into someone, anyone.  
Okay, not just anyone.  
It would help if he knew who exactly was attacking the building.  
His current hypothesis was MODOK.  
The darkness is overwhelming. Tony can’t see shit.  
Which is probably why he runs into someone.  
A flashlight shines into his eyes, and Tony winces.  
“Oh. Tony!” A familiar voice says, and Tony feels relief flow through his veins.  
“Nat,” he sighs.  
She squeezes his shoulder.  
“Any ideas what’s going on?” Tony asks.  
“Cabal attack, I think. I saw MODOK for sure.”  
“Damn.” Tony looks in Natasha’s general direction. “Do you think it’s too much to hope the others will take care of him? Without my suit, I’m useless and a liability.” Tony taps his arc reactor for emphasis.  
Nat sighs. “Probably, but who knows.”  
“Who knows, indeed,” replies a voice nearby.  
Tony spins to face the voice, and the flashlight turns back on.  
MODOK’s creepy grin shines down upon them in the darkness.  
“Though, really, could you expect those losers to get to me?” MODOK continues.  
“Hey, those losers are my friends,” Tony retorts immediately.  
MODOK grimaces, and Tony can almost feel Nat rolling her eyes behind him.  
“Well, your friends are running into some… technical difficulties.”   
Tony gapes.  
Natasha adjusts her grip on the flashlight as she gets into a fighting pose. “I suggest you free them, MODOK.”  
“I would,” MODOK shrugs. “But the only one who can is Stark, so I’d suggest he get moving.”  
Tony’s mind goes blank, and he’s already running down the hall towards what he hopes is the main room, ignoring MODOK’s cackle and Natasha’s steps behind him.  
The tangle of electrical wires is all Tony can see.  
Well, he takes that back. He can see the bodies of his fellow Avengers, unconscious in their wrappings, and where all the wires meet up in the middle.  
He rushes to the control panel.  
He already knows he needs to overload it, but it’s not until he sees the countdown that he realizes how little time he has.  
With all the electronics down, Tony has the only thing that can overload the control panel: his arc reactor.  
He immediately takes off his shirt and gets to work on the wires.  
“Tony, no!” Natasha says.  
“Do you see the countdown? We don’t have another option.”  
“There’s always another option.”  
“Not right now,” Tony replies, connecting the wires to the metal plate in his chest.  
He already knows it will kill him, but he’s hoping it will be quick and painless.  
Natasha pushes him out of the way.  
“Nat, no! Let me do this!” He begs.  
She ignores him, pulling all the wires to her.  
“Nat!” He cries, but he can’t get her to move or stop.  
She attaches the wires to her flashlight.  
He stares in surprise. It’s a special flashlight he made, with a power surge option in case it was needed for missions.  
Actually…  
Her plan will work.  
“Oh,” he says.  
She snorts. “What, you think you’re the only brain around?”  
“No…”  
“Or do you just always have to go for the sacrifice play?”  
Tony looks down at the ground.  
She finally looks at him as the surge goes through the control panel.  
The limp bodies of his friends fall to the ground,  
“You don’t have to, you know,” she says.  
“Maybe not in this scenario, but there are others.”  
Nat sighs, standing. She offers Tony his shirt. “You have the rest of us for a reason you know.”  
Tony pulls on the shirt. He’s silent, just staring at the ground.  
“Tony?”  
He looks up at her.  
“We’re all here. You don’t have to make the sacrifice play when we’re all here.”  
He shrugs.  
“Please?” She asks, and it throws Tony for a loop.  
He hadn’t thought she cared. Or at least, not that much. He thought she was just putting up with him because she had to.  
But she cared.  
“Okay,” he whispers.  
She smiles.  
“Okay,” she says, turning back into her normal self. “Time to get everyone up to the med bay to make sure they’re okay. You’re helping.”  
Tony smiles back at her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Take my quiz of what to write next, and join my discord!
> 
> Quiz Link: https://forms.gle/F16UoXg9PR1cZtdLA  
> Discord Link: https://discord.gg/gd4Exrg


	7. Pepper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ooh someone's in LOVE

Tony leans on Pepper as they sit on the sofa together.

They aren't really talking, but Tony's okay with that.

Besides, he has something else in his sights.

In front of him, Sam, Bucky, and Steve are talking, and Tony just so happens to have a nice view of Steve's ass.

Well, not as nice as the view he got earlier in the week, but he wasn't supposed to get that view.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Tony wonders out loud as Steve glances in his direction for the fifty-second time.

Pepper shrugs. "I don't know."

They lapse back into silence for a moment.

"But what I do know is that it's getting pretty obvious you have a crush on Steve."

Tony turns red. "I do not!"

"Really?" Pepper asks, raising an eyebrow.

Tony glares at her, face red.

Steve looks over his shoulder again at Tony.

Okay, okay, maybe that's a lie, Tony thinks. Maybe Steve does have stunning, pale blue eyes. Maybe the way Steve's blonde hair never seems to be the same each day fascinates Tony. Maybe that ass  _is_ captivating. Maybe those muscles look strong enough to save the world but gentle enough to comfort everyone as well. Maybe Steve is kind, and caring, and generous in a way Tony hasn't experienced in a long time. Maybe Steve looks at people like they are the world, but he looks at Tony like he's the universe, and Tony's never had anyone look at him that way before.

Maybe Tony's in love with Steve.

But there's no way in hell anyone like that could fall in love with Anthony Edward Stark.

"You should tell him," Pepper says softly.

Tony scoffs. "Like I have a chance."

Pepper looks at him sadly. "You don't think you do?"

Tony shakes his head. "I'm not his type."

Pepper smiles. "And how do you know that?"

Tony frowns. "How could I be?"

Pepper shrugs. "Only one way to find out."

Tony shakes his head again. "No way."

Pepper smiles, looking at Steve. "I think you'd be surprised."

Tony rolls his eyes.

Maybe he's in love with Steve Rogers, but there's no way that love is requited.


	8. Sam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> owo whats this im posting???
> 
> sorry for the delay. i've been busy and also just.... emotionally incapable of posting for whatever reason??? so sorry for making yalls wait i promise i still love you all

Tony sits on the sofa, his fingers tapping rhythmic, anxious patterns into his leg.

Sam stares up at him from his own chair. "You don't have to be worried, Tony. I won't tell anyone what we talk about today. Doctor-patient confidentiality."

"I know," Tony replies. "I just..." He sighs. "I've never really done this before."

Sam frowns sadly.

Tony sighs again. "So. What do you want to know?"

Sam shrugs. "Just start where you want to start. Tell me anything."

Tony scoffs. "Well shit. There's... there's a lot."

Sam sits patiently as Tony tries to figure out where he wants to start.

He can't think of much.

"Why don't you tell me what you tried to tell Bruce?"

Tony figures it's as good a place as any.

He starts in Genova in 1999, then moves to the present, well, the recent past. He talks about the wormhole, about sleepless nights and ruined relationships. He talks about having to be the best, the only way to keep everyone and everything safe. He talks about how things aren't quite what you'd expect, terrorists and billionaires alike.

He just lets his mouth run.

And, to his surprise, Sam listens. He asks questions and makes comments, and Tony's not sure he's ever had this kind of feedback before.

It's nice.

The forty-five minutes they had originally agreed on becomes an hour and a half.

At the end of the story, Tony feels cathartic. He's let go of a lot. And while the fear and the anxiety and anger are all still there, it feels more manageable than it has in years. He finally has someone who can help take some of the weight off his shoulders.

"Thank you," Tony whispers.

Sam smiles. "Of course."

Tony smiles to himself.

"Same time next week?" Sam asks.

Tony looks up in surprise. "You want to meet with me again?"

Sam nods. "It seems to be good for you."

Tony smiles. "Yeah. I'd like that. A lot."

Sam smiles. "Good."

Tony finally feels a little bit safer and a little bit more secure.

He's got this.

For the first time in a long time, the future actually seems a little bit brighter.


	9. Rhodes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not posting! I just got my wisdom teeth out, so I've been a little out of commission, but this fanfic will be done soon hopefully (in the next week or so!)  
> Love you all tons!

"Rhodey, you've gotta be kidding me," Tony groans.

"We're going to see my mom, and that's final. She misses you, Tones."

Tony rolls his eyes. "Okay, whatever."

"She can't make it to your party because of my niece's wedding. You know that."

"Remind me why you aren't going to the wedding again?"

"Because I'm closer to you than Eliza, Tony."

Tony looks over at Rhodes. "Really?"

"Really."

Tony smiles. "If you say so."

"I do say so."

Tony stares out of the window, content.

Rhodes focuses on the road.

"She's making the good stuff for dinner, right?"

Rhodes snorts. "You think everything she makes is the good stuff."

"Okay, fair, but not what I meant."

Rhodes smiles. "Yes, she's making chili and chocolate cake for tonight."

"Yes!" Tony cheers.

Rhodes smiles fondly at Tony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quiz Link: https://forms.gle/F16UoXg9PR1cZtdLA  
> Discord Link: https://discord.gg/gd4Exrg


	10. Thor

Okay, three villains in a week was a little excessive, but such is the life of a superhero.

At least this time, all the Avengers were here.

On the other hand, the Adaptiod was back, and it had company this time.

Tony ditches the suit this time, doing his best to fight with his fists.

Steve's shield is... somewhere. The ceiling, Tony thinks. He looks up.

Yeah, that's not coming down any time soon.

Clint has used up all of his arrows except the electric ones, which only seem to strengthen the Adaptoids.

Rhodes and Sam ditched their gear as well, but unlike Tony, they have military training, so they seem to be holding up a lot better than Tony is.

Bruce is holding his ground as the Hulk decently well, as is Loki with his magic.

Bucky has lost his arm to an Adaptoid somehow, but he and Natasha have each others' backs, fending off Adaptoids successfully.

Seriously, no, how the fuck did that happen? How did he lose his metal arm?

Thankfully, Peter's at May's tonight, safe, away from the attack.

Tony launches himself at another Adaptoid, holding onto its neck and shoulders desperately.

The Adaptoid knocks him off with ease.

Tony tumbles to the ground roughly, and the Adaptoid turns on him menacingly.

Fear runs through Tony's chest as he remembers his nightmare from the first Adaptoid attack.

The Adaptoid looms over Tony as Tony instinctively moves back, moves away, only to back up into a wall.

Oh no.  _Oh no_.

Thor yells something from across the room.

Tony looks at Thor, but Thor is already throwing something across the battle.

Tony blinks. He can't catch that, what is Thor thinking, oh god that Adaptoid is really close, Tony doesn't have his suit to protect him this time, oh no that's going to hit him in the face and -

Tony puts up his hands instinctively.

The smooth leather fits in the palm of his hand perfectly.

He swings the hammer with all of his might.

The Adaptoid flies backwards, electricity arcing over its surface.

The Adaptoid lies still on the ground.

Tony reels: The Adaptoid can be overloaded, the hammer supplies enough electricity to overload the Adaptoid, Tony just wielded the hammer, Tony  _can_ wield the hammer, Thor just  _gave_ Tony the hammer.

The Avengers have all stopped to stare at Tony.

"The hammer's lighter than I expected," Tony says, mouth dry.

Thor laughs heartily. "The Adaptoids aren't beaten yet."

Tony smiles faintly. "Yeah."

As his brain catches up, Tony grins more forcefully. "Yeah. You're right."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quiz Link: https://forms.gle/F16UoXg9PR1cZtdLA  
> Discord Link: https://discord.gg/gd4Exrg


	11. Steve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The moment we've been waiting for

Tony stands on the balcony, overlooking the city

This is his city, he thinks.

He's actually kind of proud, and not just of his people.

He's become a person his father never would have expected.

And that's victory enough.

The sliding glass door opens.

Tony turns to face Steve.

"What are you doing up? Don't you need sleep?"

Steve smirks. "I slept for seventy years, Tony."

Tony groans. "No, not this again."

Steve stands next to Tony.

"So, today was a surprise," Tony says.

"If you're talking about the hammer, I knew you had it in you."

Tony gapes. "You did?"

Steve looks at Tony, and the ghost of the smile he had looks sad. "Of course."

Tony scoffs. "No way."

"Yes way."

"What qualities do I have that make me worthy?"

Steve stares in shock. "What qualities do- are you crazy, Tony? You're perfect! You're smart, you're intelligent, you always put others before yourself, you're kind, you're fantastic, you give and you give and you dive! You..." Steve sighs, staring at Tony, open-mouthed.

Tony stares back at Steve.

"I had no idea you felt that ways about me," Tony whispers.

Steve gently grabs Tony's cheeks. "Of course I do. God I-"

Tony holds onto Steve's hands, and they stare at each other for a second, silent, then they're rushing at each other, and Tony feels like his lips might bruise with the force of the kiss. It's passionate, and gentle, and Tony's hands move to Steve's hair, and he holds it tightly, afraid to let go.

The finally break apart, gasping for air.

"I must be dreaming," Tony whispers.

Steve shakes his head. "If this is a dream, I never want to wake up."

Tony stares. "God, I think I love you."

Steve smiles. "I sure hope so."

Steve kisses Tony's nose, and Tony leans into Steve's chest, the gentle coolness of it soothing and calming.

Steve holds Tony tightly to his chest,

Tony holds Steve's hand. "Let's take this inside. Sit on a couch, get some food, drink."

Steve smiles. "I'd like that."

No, Tony thinks as they lock hands to head back inside.

_This_ is victory enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quiz Link: https://forms.gle/F16UoXg9PR1cZtdLA  
> Discord Link: https://discord.gg/gd4Exrg


	12. Peter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hahaha i love one father/son duo

"You kissed Captain America?"

"Kid," Tony says, laughing.

"Fucking finally!"

"Kid!" Tony repeats, blushing.

"No seriously, you've been talking about him for how long now?"

Tony rolls his eyes. "Kid, I'm not accepting that kind of sass from you."

"Whatever you say, Mr. Stark," Peter replies, cheeky as ever.

Tony glares at him from across the workbench.

"So when's your fate with Captain America?"

Tony shrugs. "At seven."

"So... In half an hour?"

"Shit! Is it that time already?" Tony asks, leaping out of his seat.

Peter looks at the clock. "Yep."

Tony groans. "Shit."

"You want me to stall him?"

Tony smiles at the kid gratefully. "Thanks."

Peter smiles and runs off.

Thank god for the kid, Tony thinks as he rushes to get ready.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quiz Link: https://forms.gle/F16UoXg9PR1cZtdLA  
> Discord Link: https://discord.gg/gd4Exrg


	13. Happy Birthday Tony!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this! I hope you enjoyed! There's a link to my discord at the bottom of the page, and my tumblr is kraefandoms if you want updates on me being, well, me.

Tony smiles at the small group of people in front of him.

"Did you really think you could surprise me for my birthday?" He asks.

Steve shrugs. "Guilty as charged."

Tony smiles. "I appreciate the effort, but JARVIS told me about some quote-unquote suspicious behavior in the living room."

"JARVIS! You said you wouldn't tell!" Peter complains.

Tony snickers as the AI declines to respond.

"Come on, we were going to make you feel special, even though you're old and shit," Clint complains.

"I'm only 41!"

"That's like... almost three times my age."

"Shut it, Parker."

The Avengers laugh, and the party begins, just a slow, quiet celebration.

Steve wraps his arms around Tony. "Happy birthday, love."

Tony smiles, hugging Steve. "Thank you."

Steve smiles down at Tony, and they're about to kiss when someone interrupts.

"Can I have my thirty bucks now?" Clint asks.

Tony tilts his head, confused.

Natasha smacks Clint upside the head. "We're making Tony feel good because he deserves it, you little shit! Not for the money!"

"What?" Tony asks.

Steve rolls his eyes. "You made a comment about giving thirty dollars to the first person to make you feel not worthless, so we decided to make you feel not worthless." Steve glares at Clint. "But not for the money."

Tony rolls his eyes. "If you need money, all you have to do is ask, you know."

"Yeah, but then we aren't making you feel good," Clint says.

"So you  _do_ care!" Natasha exclaims.

"No!" Clint blurts out.

Tony snickers.

"Well, I'd say you succeeded. Consider me not feeling worthless."

"Yay!" Peter cheers.

Steve kisses the top of Tony's head. "Good."

Tony smiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Discord Link: https://discord.gg/gd4Exrg


End file.
